If you have driven and 1984, 1994, 2004 or 2014 you have driven a Wrangler. The 2014 might have a CD player, but they aren't that much different. The pre-2007 Wrangler did not have ESC, so those have a 50% higher fatality rate due to that alone, not to mention other less important safety features. ...

Another suggestion: a few weekends a year, splurge on convertibles or exotics. Beach trip? Rent a Porsche, Vette, Benz, etc. That will be a lot more fun, yet still much cheaper than, buying, insuring and maintaining a car, which just sits there 99% of the time, losing money. Ah yes, I like this sug...

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm surprised that there are so many people who own an automobile but wish they didn't! I just bought a Jeep Commander but also commute on public transport. But I like to use it to drive to the ski slopes and it's great having the hitch to move the family's mountai...

Maybe consider renting some more interesting cars than you have been. Like a Jeep Wrangler Ha, good point. Wranglers can be hard to find for rent, but I have been looking into it. Assuming I could rent a Wrangler whenever I wanted, then it seems the difference between renting and owning might come ...

I live in chicago, and wish I didn't own a car (I would keep my motorcycle tho:). I'm not sure where you live, but In large metros they are more of a hassle. Yes, it would be nice when you occasionally need one, but what about 95% of the other days? Parking tickets, car maintenance, finding parking...

Ten years ago I moved across the country to a more walkable city and I sold my car in the process. I have been happily getting by on a mix of public transportation, taxis, rentals, and zipcar. I had grown up loving my cars, even working on them mechanically, but I adapted and found that I liked bein...

Utility bill savings can indeed be significant in many parts of CA when compared to other parts of the country, including the South. You didn't ask about income (or even mention whether you are working) but of course, incomes can be significantly higher as well, depending on your profession… I made ...

Thanks very much freebeer, your comments are quite helpful. I hadn't considered the possibility of the soft landing scenario that you describe, and the fact that a talent-driven acquisition would almost certainly come with significant signing compensation. I could live with that, especially if it ha...

I have about 20 years of experience as a software engineer and have worked for many different companies along the way. My current employer is a Fortune 500 company. The compensation is quite good, but job satisfaction and room for career growth are less than ideal. Recently I was invited to consider...

Thanks 555 - exactly to the point I've been shouting into the wind about. With a floor, the consequences of depleting your retirement portfolio when you're an old coot aren't necessarily horrific enough that you have to forego spending for self and others earlier in your retirement. You don't need ...

Are pull-ups considered safe for the joints, e.g. shoulders? A few years ago I was able to do a dozen but I subsequently hurt my shoulder. Now that my shoulder is better, I'd like to ease back into pull-ups. On a related note, does anyone have a favorite door frame pull up bar to recommend? Edit: I ...

It strikes me that a big opportunity for these services to add value is in tailoring their recommendations to fit the specifics of each customer's circumstances. For example, this linked article about asset location when the majority of assets are held in taxable is interesting: https://blog.wealthf...

Interesting analysis from Reuters: The Government Dominated Bond Market ....as a stylized fact, the bond market is dominated on both sides by the official sector. Private participants might sit in the middle as market-makers, or try to borrow money here or there, but overall what you’re looking at, ...

Earlier this year I sold Vanguard Intermediate Term Muni (VCADX) at a loss and immediately re-invested the proceeds into Vanguard Long Term Muni (VCLAX), with the presumption that the two funds are not substantially identical. For example (simplifying the numbers) say I bought 3500 shares @ 11.80 in...

To the new investors: Other than the points of contention mentioned by the OP, is there anything else that you would like to see changed? Is the wording clear, or does something need to be changed to help you understand the concepts better? I believe the advice to place international stock funds in...

I actually recently shifted my international allocation completely to taxable based on this rule of thumb, and now I feel a little silly for not doing more research first. I skimmed your thread: AA when Taxable account balance exceeds Tax Deferred . You received solid advice in that thread from man...

Wow, the decision on whether to place International funds in taxable or tax-advantaged accounts seems to be much more complex than I was led to believe by reading this: http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Principles_of_tax-efficient_fund_placement#Step_3:_Place_international_stock_funds_in_taxable_accoun...

There is a weak argument to be made that because bonds have fluctuations and because those fluctuations are uncorrelated with stocks--not opposite of, just independent of--there is a diversification effect. People who are interested in this probably want long-term bonds, and are doing something dif...

The baseline for thinking about portfolios should be something like Total Stock Market for stocks, Total Bond Market for bonds. If you want to do something different from that, the question that needs to be answered is, "Why, exactly, do I think it would be much better to add an allocation to riski...

... Teaching in a community college has some appeal to me because I think I would find it rewarding to work with students from less privileged backgrounds I work at a community college. Please ditch this attitude before applying--it won't be appreciated and won't get you hired. Sorry, I didn't mean...

Thanks very much for the suggestions. Indeed, trying out teaching first is a great idea, and that reminds me that the local college has an extension system, so teaching non-credit classes there could be a good way in. Below that, there is meetup.com - essentially anyone can offer to teach anything t...

I've recently become interested in the possibility of transitioning from corporate work (almost 2 decades in engineering) into teaching. I'm considering making the switch in about 2 years. From my initial research it looks like my existing masters degree qualifies me to teach in local community coll...

I did it by hand for many years, up to the mid 2000's. Never audited, even with a Sched C etc. I did on one occasion have unambiguous math errors. The IRS computer just fixes them as it goes and spits out a letter and a check or a bill. I suppose if the numbers are very screwy they would trigger so...

Tax deferred investments represent less that a quarter of my financial assets. I plan to live off required minimum distributions from tax deferred accounts and dividends from TSM, international total stock, and intermediate term munis in taxable accounts. That means that the choice is not "paying c...

A day trip from SF will be tiring, but it's certainly possible with an early morning start - the drive is 3-4 hours each way, and you can drive around the lake in 1-2 hours. The lake is very beautiful and there are lots of good photo opportunities available just by driving around it. Depending on yo...

[...]Having set the value for (a), your job is to accumulate enough safe assets to get you to a point at the age of retirement where the flooring portfolio generates the desired income stream. To calculate the target value of these assets, and adjust from year to year, you might inquire into the pr...

I use the US Bank Cash Plus. No annual fee, 1% cash back on everything, plus some 5% and 2% categories that you select each quarter. FYI, you can only apply for this person in a branch (not online or by phone). Unfortunately, despite the name, US Bank has no branches in many parts of the country. I...

Sorry, I am not going to be of any help. I think everyone should be about 60/40 stocks/bonds regardless of age. (OK, maybe between 50% and 70% stocks.) Set the AA and forget about it. The important knob you have control over is your savings rate. Thanks for the reply. Just because your rule of thum...

It strikes me that the "age in bonds" asset allocation rule of thumb (yes, I know it's only a blunt starting point) more or less presumes retirement between age 60 and 70. Can we (or has someone already) come up with rules of thumb or more complex formulas to help set the asset allocation of someone...

I use the US Bank Cash Plus. No annual fee, 1% cash back on everything, plus some 5% and 2% categories that you select each quarter.
I regularly get 2.5-3% back overall, because of my particular spending pattern.

You're bumping a six-year old thread. So what? Thanks for bumping this thread. I found the post above by Mr. Swedroe from May 10, 2007 5:25 pm to be quite intriguing. I'd love to read the long version if it now exists. I presume this is expounded upon in Larry's subsequent books? Edit - found the a...

If more websites used 2-step verification services (Vanguard or Fidelity...) this entire question could be completely meaningless... 2-step verification is certainly a good thing because it makes web based attacks more difficult, but I think what gets overlooked sometimes in these password discussi...

There is a difference of opinion on this forum over whether an investor should hold all bonds in an IRA (401k) and all stock in a taxable account or be diversified in both accounts. I fall more on the side of being diversified in both accounts, but also put some thought into it. For example, use mu...

I'm probably going to make a fool of myself (not the first time!), but I just cannot understand this topic of an emergency fund. If I need up to $20K at a swipe of a card, well, I have a credit card (actually two, hence more flexibility if needs be). Then for anything not strictly instantaneous (or...

In a more abstract way I do favor locations with weaker currencies as not having to worry about money during the trip increases my enjoyment significantly. If beers are $0.50, costs are generally below my threshold of pain - hello Bratislava in the '90's. If beers are > $6, I start worrying total c...

Thanks. Now, I want a cookie. Me too. Fortunately there are none in the house. I just came back from grocery shopping and once again didn't buy cookies, so there are none in my house for yet another week. Just walking down the cookie aisle is tough, but "stay the course" is my motto for cookies and...

Retiring abroad complicates retirement finances substantially. In addition to all the other investment risks, you now face currency risk, unless you transfer your assets to your host country. I would never consider moving my assets into the Thai baht, for many reasons. That means that if the US dol...

I'm retired at 25 and wrote a (pseudonymous) article that partially discusses my thinking: http://voices.yahoo.com/why-retire-lima-peru-11818472.html You can tell the article is for a 25-year old's concerns because it doesn't even mention heath care :) You can definitely hugely reduce costs - you j...

I'm late to the party here, but thought I'd pitch in some on basic expat issues and healthcare. I'm a China expat - 2 years in remote China working and another 3 to go. You scoff at the Aunt Jemima thing because you haven't done a long stint overseas . You've never been through serious sustained cu...

I'm not sure how much you're prioritizing the "rising cost of health care in the US" but I think that's a bit of a red herring. Yes, medical care is cheaper or even free in some other countries, but if you're thinking in terms of early retirement then most likely you are in an age bracket where pri...

Hi Sharke, you might try the Early Retirement forum: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ I have lived in four countries besides the USA since I early retired at age 41. It seems like I ended up spending about the same amount of money everywhere. But I do live a much better lifestyle overseas. [...